San Francisco 49ers quarterback Trey Lance, the likely starter in 2022, stopped by NFL Network on Thursday to speak with Andrew Siciliano and Michael Irvin. This offseason, the team will likely transition from quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to Lance, who started just two games this past season.
Lance is confident he's ready to take over if that's what the Niners ask of him.
"I'm going to be ready to go Week 1, without a doubt," Lance said. "I'm super excited for the opportunity. I feel like I learned a lot. I'll continue to learn. But yeah, excited to get it going again."
Lance was on the sideline when the 49ers fell just short in the NFC Championship Game. The players will use the loss as motivation heading into the offseason. It's difficult watching the team that beat you—in this case, the Los Angeles Rams—playing instead of you.
"Walking off the field after the NFC Championship Game is hard," Lance shared. "The guys in our quarterback room, the guys on our team, we've got a special team and a real close-knit group of guys. It was hard, definitely, but it just made me more hungry."
Lance was asked to look back on his rookie year, mostly spent backing up Garoppolo, studying the playbook, and mimicking opposing quarterbacks on the scout team. What are his thoughts on his first NFL season?
"It's definitely a new game, similar to the transition from high school to college, but I knew that coming in," Lance responded. "It was an awesome year. It obviously didn't end the way we wanted it to, but I obviously got to play a little bit, started two games, and learned from Jimmy, who I think was an awesome person for me to learn from on and off the field."
While Lance learned a lot from watching Garoppolo, the young quarterback acknowledges that nothing compares to in-game experience.
"I think there's nothing like reps, real live reps," Lance said. "Game reps, even practice reps. I think every rep I get, every throw I make, you definitely learn from it. But our coaching staff, and Jimmy, did an awesome job, I thought, throughout the year of finding different ways to implement me in[to games] early in the year, especially. And throughout the year, just finding ways for me to learn from Jimmy. His playing style obviously being a little bit different than mine, I think that benefitted me a lot also."
If this really is the end for Garoppolo in red and gold, the understudy hopes the 49ers do right by his mentor and friend.
"I know, whatever the situation is, if Jimmy does leave, I know they're going to do everything in their power, his people, as well as our organization, to make sure he ends up in a good spot," Lance commented. "He deserves to be in a good spot."
No interview would be complete without discussing the 49ers' most explosive offensive weapon, Deebo Samuel. The wide receiver and running back hybrid will be entering his fourth NFL season, and the 49ers hope to ensure it won't be his last in Santa Clara. They'll likely try to sign the NFL star to a contract extension, making sure to keep Samuel and Lance together for years to come.
"He's one of those people who was my big bro from day one," Lance said of Samuel. "He can do it all. You've seen it all—throwing touchdowns, running touchdowns, catching touchdowns. His explosiveness, the way he sees the game, he's definitely someone that I would like to play with for a long, long time."
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